Vijay’s farewell film reaches ZEE5 today in four languages — having overtaken Karuppu last week to become the year’s top Tamil grosser at roughly ₹320 crore worldwide.
Jana Nayagan begins streaming on ZEE5 today — 29 days after its theatrical release — and arrives on the platform having become the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2026, overtaking Suriya's Karuppu last week.
The race that had run through the film's theatrical life is settled. Karuppu, which had held the position of 2026's highest-grossing Tamil film since its own release, finished at approximately ₹310 crore worldwide. Jana Nayagan passed it last week and now stands at around ₹320 crore worldwide, with India net collections near ₹197 crore.
The film was already the year's strongest Tamil release overseas. It now leads on the combined worldwide figure as well — the position it had been chasing since crossing ₹300 crore in its second week.
ZEE5 Tamil announced the date on 17 August through its own social channels — “Thangamey! Thalapathy #JanaNayagan is all set to meet you all on 21st August only on Zee5” — converting what had been a trade report into an official announcement. The film streams in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.
Lloyd C. Xavier, Business Head for Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam at ZEE5, described the film as carrying significance for audiences who had followed Vijay's career across decades, and called it a landmark moment for Tamil cinema and a farewell to the star's screen career.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 9 January 2026 | Original release date — postponed |
| Early 2026 | CBFC certification dispute, proposed cuts, legal challenge |
| Pre-release | Full film leaked online |
| 10 May 2026 | Vijay sworn in as Chief Minister |
| 23 July 2026 | Theatrical release worldwide — ₹42.70 Cr India net on day one |
| 25 July 2026 | Crosses ₹100 crore worldwide in two days |
| Mid-August | Overtakes Karuppu as 2026's top Tamil grosser |
| 21 August 2026 | Digital premiere on ZEE5 |
Originally scheduled for 9 January 2026, the film was held up by a prolonged certification dispute with the CBFC involving proposed cuts and a legal challenge, and its politically sensitive content reportedly drew the Election Commission's attention ahead of the Assembly election. A full leak online before release compounded the difficulty. It finally reached cinemas on 23 July, two and a half months after Vijay had taken office as Chief Minister.
Directed by H. Vinoth and produced by Venkat K. Narayana under KVN Productions, the film follows Vetri Kondan, a former police officer who takes responsibility for the daughter of a dead friend, helping her confront childhood trauma while she pursues her ambition of joining the Indian Army — an effort that draws him into a confrontation with forces threatening democratic institutions.
Vijay stars alongside Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju, Prakash Raj, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Priyamani and Narain. Anirudh Ravichander composed the music, Sathyan Sooryan handled cinematography and Pradeep E. Ragav edited.
It is Vijay's 69th and final film. For the full record, see the Jana Nayagan film page.
Note on figures: box office trackers differ in how they calculate totals for this film. The comparison with Karuppu above draws both figures from the same source, on a worldwide-gross basis.
Jana Nayagan ZEE5 OTT Premiere Box Office Record August 21, 2026